43-28317 Snooperman

Snooperman UPL 70723 UPL 70723 34th PRS F-5 Snooperman

My grandfather was the Crew Chief on this plane and came from his photo album.

On

Object Number - UPL 70723 - 34th PRS F-5 Snooperman

Major J.R. Dempsey - Pilot 

S/Sgt Benny Gronowicz - Crew Chief

 

43-28317 (a.k.a. "Snooper Man") wore overall PRU blue finish with hand-painted invasion stripes on booms and wings. This plane was a victim of Azelot/Lupecourt 07-Dec/44. The runway had a 100' difference in altitude from one end to the other...and while landing in the packed mud on the "downhill side", 317 ran out of brakes and ran off the runway into a ditch. Pilot of this mission, not Dempsey, would survive to fly another day. The airplane was still reparable at this point, but the maintenance group came and tried to remove it from the ditch by attaching a rope to one boom and pulling on it -- which effectively destroyed the airplane. Dempsey remembers, "I was fond of this particular plane, not least because had a picture of my wife in the side window, which was shot out by flak. Benny Gronowicz wrote her, "Don't worry, Mrs Dempsey, we have lots more pictures!" "Snooper Man" would be retired to the boneyard and parted. (Jane Ellsworth via Jim Crow)

Connections

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Event Location Date Description

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Crashed/Scrapped

4 December 1944 28317 (F-5E-2-LO, 34th PRS) scrapped Dec 7, 1944.

Revisions

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Contributormgronowicz
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Sources

34th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (34thprs.org)

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Contributormgronowicz
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Sources

34th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (34thprs.org)

Benny Gronowicz Photo Archive

Date
Contributor466thHistorian
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Sources

http://www.accident-report.com/world/europe/france/fr4412.html

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Contributor466thHistorian
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Sources

http://cgibin.rcn.com/jeremy.k/cgi-bin/gzUsafSearch.pl?target=43-28624&…
"Patton's Eyes In The Sky" - Tom Ivie
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43-28317: Gallery (2 items)

Snooperman

Object number: UPL 70723 - 34th PRS F-5 Snooperman

Pilot Maj J.R. Dempsey and Crew Chief S/Sgt Benny Gronowicz with their plane Snooperman

Object number: UPL 70726 - Pilot Maj J.R. Dempsey and Crew Chief S/Sgt Benny...